About

A few years ago, I became the volunteer youth minister at the People’s Church at Oak Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama. I don’t remember anyone asking me to be the youth minister. I took our nine students to camp and they started telling people I was their youth minister. Let me be honest: I loved it! God has led me away from Birmingham, but I learned so much about youth ministry at the People’s Church, I wanted to share it.

I’ve been involved in youth ministry for almost 30 years. I’ve served as a full-time youth minister, a part-time youth minister, and a volunteer to help in a youth ministry. I’ve been in little churches and big churches. I have served as a consultant in youth ministry. I just finished a Ph.D. in Christian Education with an emphasis in youth ministry. But, I don’t know when I’ve had more fun than being a volunteer youth minister to the students at the new church I belong to now.

Whether you are a college student who is serving part-time in a church near campus, a bi-vocational youth minister, or a parent of teens who wants to make sure the church is offering something great to your kids, youth ministry in a small church has some unique challenges . . . and some unique opportunities. My hope is that SmallYouthGroup.com will become a helpful tool to you in sharpening your ministry.

Who am I? I came to know Christ as a teenager because a youth group cared enough to involve me. After attending Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I worked full-time as a youth minister for 10 years in churches in Illinois and Texas. I served as a Youth Consultant in discipleship, a Design Editor, and Editor-in-Chief for discipleship resources for students at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville. I led the development of Student Life Bible Study as the Vice President for Publishing at Student Life/Clarity Publishers in Birmingham.

I have just been invited to join the faculty at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California and will begin my duties there in August. I love teenagers and long to see them fall in love with Jesus.

My hope in developing this site is to create a community of youth leaders serving with small youth groups. I believe there is much we can learn from each other. If you would like to contact me with ideas for this site or with questions about ministry, please email me.